EGS, an incredibly promising form of geothermal, involves drilling down to "basement rock", the hot outer layer of the crust, and pumping water down into it to produce steam. Just a tiny percentage of the underground heat capacity of the U.S. could power the nation thousands of times over. (Source: AltaRock)

New energy source could offer 2,500 times nation's power needs, according to MIT

The world of alternative energy is a confusing one filled with choices. There's nuclear, solar, wind, and biofuels (such as algae). Each technology has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

One technology that's too often forgotten in the mix is geothermal energy. With interest in alternative energy at an all-time high, the geothermal energy business is seeing a rebirth. From harnessing volcanic steam deposits to prospecting America's many geothermal sites, many promising projects are currently underway.

Perhaps the most promising source of geothermal is a brand new method called Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Where traditional geothermal involves finding naturally occurring steam pockets in the hot layers of rock beneath the Earth's crust, EGS skips the troublesome prospect and makes its own steam, by drilling down the hot rock, cracking it, and then pumping water into the cracks to form steam. The result -- instant power virtually anywhere in the country.

According to MIT, just 2 percent of the heat between 3 and 10 kilometers beneath the crust of the Earth in the continental U.S. contains enough energy to produce 2,500 the amount of power our country produces yearly. Literally, just EGS power from the U.S. could power the world. And these depths are all within the reach of current drilling equipment.

Google is very impressed by the promise of EGS. Google has decided to invest $10.25M USD to help startups develop the technology as part of its philanthropic arm Google.org's initiatives, which aim to produce alternative energy power at rates cheaper than coal. The Google investment will not only cover the continuing development and deployment of the technology itself, but also the development EGS information tools, advanced geothermal resource mapping, and promotion of geothermal public policy on a government level.

Dan Reicher, Director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for Google.org states, "EGS could be the 'killer app' of the energy world. It has the potential to deliver vast quantities of power 24/7 and be captured nearly anywhere on the planet. And it would be a perfect complement to intermittent sources like solar and wind."

The latest Google funding for EGS goes to two companies and a university. AltaRock Energy, Inc. is one of the recipients and will receive $6.25M USD to help it actualize its EGS vision. The second investment of $4M USD goes to Potter Drilling, Inc., which is exploring new methods of drilling cheaper and techniques for drilling into deep, hard rock, a technology critical to EGS. Finally Google will deliver a grant of $489,521 to Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab to aid it in its projects of updating geothermal maps of America.

Dr. Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org also delivered praise for the new direction. He states, "Innovation is the path to massive quantities of cleaner, cheaper energy. The people we're funding today have a real shot at lowering the cost of EGS, and bringing us closer to our goal of Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal."

Mr. Reicher quickly adds, "EGS is critical to the clean electricity revolution we need to solve the climate crisis, but EGS hasn't received the attention it merits. That's why we're pressing for expanded support from government and increased investment from the private sector. EGS is critical to the clean electricity revolution we need to solve the climate crisis, but EGS hasn't received the attention it merits. That's why we're pressing for expanded support from government and increased investment from the private sector."

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There's zero net mass transfer (the amount of water you pump down is equaled by the amount of water that comes up), so the only energy required is to overcome friction with the sides of the pipe. It's like a balanced see-saw - since the mass going up equals the mass going down, you can tip it either way with the slightest touch, you only have to overcome friction.

Currently existing geothermal systems are predominantly built on near-surface geothermal vents. If it were that easy, we'd all be using it right now like Iceland does. Unfortunately very few areas of the world have those, mostly near volcanoes. Iceland is basically one big volcano where an asteroid likely punched a hole through the thin crust where two plates separate. So it's difficult to extrapolate current geothermal station costs to deep well geothermal costs. Just drilling a deep well costs several million or even tens of millions of dollars.

Long-term I think geothermal is going to be the energy solution (preferable even to fusion, except for transportable power). It makes a lot more sense to me than solar and wind (and even hydro in some respects). But there are still a lot of engineering problems which still need to be overcome.

You do realize that all power plants have energy use of their own, right? That while a power plant might put 20MW into the power grid, it's likely generating 22-23MW itself, and then using a couple to run the equipment that keeps the plant going.

Really, the only time that it pulls from the power grid is during initial startup, until it's generating it's own power.

Oh, and while $10 million might seem like a lot of money to invest in a worth endeavor like this, I'd be willing to bet that Google spends darn near that much every year on office supplies! Come on, Google......how about putting out some REAL cash??

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